Overcoming God
by D-Watson
Summary: Battle City fill-in-the gap. Kaiba thinks he knows why the other Yugi is so protective of Jonouchi. The other Yugi doesn’t want to believe Kaiba’s right.


**Summary**: Battle City fill-in-the gap. Kaiba thinks he knows why the other Yugi is so protective of Jonouchi. The other Yugi doesn't want to believe Kaiba's right.

**Yu-Gi-Oh!** (c) Kazuki Takahashi

This takes place after the first Rare Hunters tag duel (episode 68). Standard original-based crap applies.

* * *

_It's all your fault. If you had lost this match, your friends would not have to get involved._

Malik's words echoed through the other Yugi's head like rain on a tin roof, steady and pestering. Domino never felt quite so huge or ominous, and somewhere in the streets, Jonouchi was searching for answers, completely unaware of being targeted in a scheme more intricate and malicious than anything he should've ever been part of. Yugi could only hope to get to him in time, before the ante of the tournament reached a price that would make him reconsider the true worth of his lost memories.

-Mokuba will use Kaiba Corp's satellite system to track down Jonouchi. He'll notify us of the location as soon as possible.

-Thank you, Kaiba.

-Don't thank me, Yugi. I'm only doing this to make our duel possible.

The other Yugi wanted to believe Kaiba would one day accept his offers of friendship. He wanted to believe there was more to their rivalry than a grudge held over a defeat that already felt a lifetime away. What Ishizu had shown him certainly seemed to suggest their destinies were tangled in a far more elaborate web. But although Kaiba was no longer the man he was in Death-T, he was no more prepared to build bonds that rested on anything less tangible than business and mutual benefits.

-Whatever your reasons are, I'm in your debt. We'll have our duel as soon as I make sure my friends are out of Malik's reach.

Kaiba was a pragmatic man and quite often, he approached life as it were a game of chess. And so every situation required the scene and all the players to be assessed in order to choose the best course of action. That meant taking into account all possible outcomes.

-He could have already gotten to them, you know. Battle City is swarming with Rare Hunters. They've already attacked Jonouchi once, haven't they?

-Yes. A couple of nights ago.

Yugi swallowed a lump. It wasn't because of what happened, but because of how it happened. The very thought of someone disgracing the game in such a conniving fashion as Malik's Ghouls did was almost nauseating. Using fake cards and trampling over a duelist's pride – it was unforgivable.

-Hmm. If that mediocrity couldn't hold his own against one Rare Hunter, he won't last five minutes in a duel against Malik.

Kaiba's loud musings did nothing for Yugi's already worn patience. It took a lot of effort to keep his anger in check.

-Jonouchi-kun won't go down without a fight.

-Maybe, but he _will_ go down. Maybe he's already licking his wounds.

There was something almost mocking in Kaiba's voice, and Yugi hardly found the situation appropriate for petty jibes.

-Stop it, Kaiba! This is serious.

-So am I. There's no place for him in this battle. He's only holding you back, getting into trouble at every corner and prolonging the road to _our_ destined duel.

Yugi fumed, in spite of knowing Kaiba wasn't doing it just to tick him off. At that moment, there really was only one road in his world – the road to a duel where he planned on reclaiming his title. And every obstacle in that path was worth less than nothing to him. Witnessing the power of Gods. Knowing that Yugi had claimed what was rightfully his and that they were both finally equipped to provide each-other a rematch as fair and epic as they deserved. It was all too exciting to be sidelined, even temporarily. A man like Kaiba simply could not function properly until he healed his wounded pride.

The other Yugi was well aware of all that. But in _his_ world there existed something that was equally important to him.

-Jonouchi-kun is _not_ holding me back. But I can't just leave him at mercy of _my_ enemies.

To anyone else, it would have sounded reasonable enough. But Kaiba didn't believe in camaraderie. Every man fought his own battles alone. It was one of the rare useful things he learned through the lessons of Gozaburo's abuse.

-Same thing. He's riding on your back again, just like in Duelist Kingdom.

-That's enough!

-So maybe it's better if he falls now and lets you carry on undistracted.

-Kaiba!!

Yugi's voice was the roar of a wounded lion, a sound almost unimaginable coming from such a petite being. He clenched his fists harder and harder until the only distinguishable features of his blood-drained hands were knuckles, threatening to tear through the delicate skin. It was the first time Kaiba saw him as a force to be reckoned with, physically.

-Jonouchi-kun has put his heart and soul into this game. He is a true duelist and I won't let you insult him!

Kaiba absorbed the threat with mild amusement. There was something suspicious and uncharacteristic about the way Yugi snapped every time Jonouchi's worth was questioned. It could have been interpreted as sticking up for a friend, but Kaiba suspected there was something more to it. Something Yugi didn't want to admit to himself.

-Insult him? Tell me something, Yugi. Why do you always feel the need to protect him? Why do you growl like a rabid dog every time I mention his name?

-Kaiba…- that voice again. Threatening to shut up, or face the consequences.

-I'll tell you why. It's because deep down, even you know your precious friend is nothing but a mediocrity. Without your guidance, he's _nothing_.

The air was so thick with tension that it wouldn't have yielded to a butter knife. Despite the significant height difference, it was hard to determine who towered over whom at that moment. Still, Kaiba's words hit a nerve and Yugi's resolve started quivering under the weight of his own self-doubt.

-You're wrong. I believe in Jonouchi-kun!

-Oh?

Kaiba stood as steady as a rock, completely un-phased by their proximity and unspoken threats. The way he kept his cool with such infallible certainty of his accusations only added fuel to Yugi's fire.

-You forget so easily. You've experienced the wrath of a God firsthand. Do you honestly believe Jonouchi can stand up to that?

Another moment of stoic defiance, and the truth hit home like a ton of bricks. On some other plain, Yugi was on his knees in the face of Malik's Osiris all over again - desperation, helplessness, fear of death and failure, all tearing through his heart like a speeding train. And he was lost for words for the first time since Kaiba knew him. His eyes, burning with rage not a moment before, suddenly grew as dim as doubt. The thought that he himself might have underestimated Jonouchi hurt Yugi more than any insult Kaiba could fling his way. But overcoming God was truly, truly a weight heavier than anything he had ever shouldered.

-Answer me, Yugi!

He wasn't really there. He was reaching for something at the back of his mind, for a light of hope that would burst through that wretched moment of doubt and give him the strength to throw Kaiba's taunts right back into his face. A bond. A promise. A safety net, when all else fails. It was a vague sentiment, terribly out of focus, but it would have to be enough.

-Jonouchi-kun and I promised each-other we'd meet in the finals. I believe he'll make it, if only to keep that promise.

His voice was steadfast and determined, but in his heart, he felt the red-hot pang of guilt. Could Jonouchi overcome God? The answer was somewhere in Battle City, but Yugi wasn't sure he wanted to know.

-end?-

* * *

Well, well, angstin' pharaoh and fun with foreshadowing. Never thought I'd pull that off to my satisfaction.

I eat reviews for breakfast. And breakfast is the most important meal of the day ;-).


End file.
